Work email etiquette dos and don’ts

Whether you work for a Bay Area tech leader or an early stage startup, writing emails is a part of your day. An email can sometimes substitute a conversation — but that doesn’t mean it should. Some thoughts don’t transfer well into an electronic message. Keep these dos and don’ts in mind before clicking the send button.

Don’t delegate tasks via email
Although you may be tempted to give someone instructions via email, the truth is that instructional messages don’t allow for the employee receiving the directions to ask questions. And even though the employee can reply with a note requesting further details, many people feel embarrassed when they don’t understand something immediately, and typing their questions into a note may feel like admitting failure.

This is why delegating in person works better; people in general feel more comfortable admitting what they don’t understand in person than in a message.

Email is a poor tool for coaching
Giving an employee quick kudos is fine over email, but coaching and mentoring should be done in person. Also, it’s never a good idea to discipline or inform someone of a change in duties via an email message. The biggest problem with delivering sensitive information over email is that it leaves room for the message to be misinterpreted, making the employee feel the opposite of what the note’s purpose was.

Don’t substitute face to face meetings with email group messages
Many leaders — especially those who don’t like public speaking — use group email messages as their main source of communication. However, email shouldn’t take the place of a meeting.

Some leaders may argue that group email messages make them more productive, yet they have a serious negative effect on a team’s synergy. Without hearing a tone of voice or chance to ask questions, teams are left to decode the manager’s punctuation and sentence structure — something that can lead to mistakes.

Resist forwarding jokes to the entire office
As tempting as it may be to include everyone at work on a funny anecdote, tastes in humor vary and the odds of someone feeling offended by a joke email are really high. Not to mention, some humor messages break HR policies and can get you in trouble.

Avoid email wars
If you get a message from your colleague that upsets you, try not to respond to it. Take a deep breath and revisit the note in an hour. If the email still bothers you then, clarify the purpose of the message with the sender in person.

By refraining from jumping into a hostile exchange of messages, you are protecting your reputation at the office. After all, email notes can be edited and you never know how you will be quoted to others. Nasty notes tend to go viral within companies and can cost you your job.

Belo Cipriani is an award-winning author, former staffing professional, a spokesperson for Guide Dogs for the Blind and the Writer-in-Residence at Holy Names University. Learn more at BeloCipriani.com.